Cat’s Cafe: A Comics Collection by Matt Tarpley
Release: May 26th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Source: Netgalley
Synopsis:
Serving up more than just coffee and tea, Cat’s Café provides its cast of adorable characters a gentle, supportive space and a hefty serving of the warm and floofies.
Welcome to Cat’s Café, a neighborhood coffee shop where all are welcome! Based on the popular webcomic, Cat’s Café introduces readers to the adorable denizens of this world. There’s Penguin, who has a bit of a coffee problem; Rabbit, whose anxiety sometimes overwhelms him; Axolotl, whose confidence inspires his friends; the always-supportive Cat, who provides hot drinks made with love and a supportive ear for anyone’s troubles; and many, many more. With a sensitive take on real issues and a gentle, positive outlook, Cat’s Café is about the power of acceptance, friendship, and love … and delicious cups of coffee.
Cat’s Cafe Review:
A big thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me an advanced copy of this book for my review. I really enjoyed reading this one!
Firstly, I have to say the main thing that stood out for me was the love and positive messages depicted in each page! Most, if not all, the panels are filled with so much love and heartwarming tales and feel good vibes.
The illustrations are simple but very cute and pleasing. Initially I thought the stories would be boring and repetitious because the book is 160 pages and each story is just a one page humorous snippet of what happens in the coffee shop. But surprisingly, the stories are very quirky and innovative, and ranges from the different type of customers who come in for their brew to the different situations they find themselves in. The creatures themselves range outside your typical land critters to dragons, octopus, and what not. The author also covers a wide range of topics like love, friendship, anxiety, depression and stress.
The only thing which I felt a little odd was the order in which the author arranged the stories. Initially I thought all the panels would center on the café or be coffee themed. But some of the stories just divert to random characters and focus on their daily activities. For example, rabbit having fun jumping in the rain puddles or lying on the grass and seeing the clouds. Don’t get me wrong. I loved reading these as well but I just felt it was odd to include it in this book. Perhaps they could have released a separate book just for these characters and story-lines outside the café?
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Cat’s Café! I have never read the web series prior to reading this, but I have subscribed to the website and am loving the new updates! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to read a simple feel good book without any negativity in it.
